Talks on Romania's full Schengen accession are making progress, Foreign Affairs Minister Luminita Odobescu told a press conference on Monday, stating that she is "optimistic" about the outcomes."An official decision regarding the final, full entry to the Schengen Area must go through a series of mandatory institutional steps. We are optimistic, but we are still working in this direction and I can say that the outlooks are positive due to Romania's readiness not only in what concerns the fulfillment of the accession criteria, something that is already known, but also thanks to what we did in terms of protecting the EU's external borders, to the permanent and constant dialogue we had with the other states, and to our contribution to ensuring the security of the external borders," the Romanian top diplomat said.Odobescu said that "the last months' results in considerably reducing and, in particular cases, even in eliminating illegal migration in the region are also due to the considerable efforts put in by Romania together with its external partners."The foreign minister said that at his meeting on November 22 in Budapest with his Bulgarian and Austrian counterparts, the Romanian minister of the interior will discuss the exact Schengen accession calendar and the technical details."It's encouraging that the new European Commissioner for Migration has set himself as a goal for his term the completion of this process," Odobescu pointed out.Regarding Romania's inclusion in the Visa Waiver program, the foreign minister said that there is "significant progress"."We are optimistic, the signals are positive, but there are still a number of procedural steps. This month we will receive an assessment mission of the American authorities, after which the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security and the American Congress must go through a series of internal procedures, which we hope will be completed in a reasonable time, so that next year the Romanian citizens can enjoy Romania's full Visa Waiver status," detailed Odobescu. (Photo: www.mae.ro)
On Monday, December 23, Romanian police brought Nica Robert Florin back to the country. The man convicted of possession of high-risk drugs, bodily harm, and driving under the influence of alcohol, is listed among Romania’s Most Wanted category and was also wanted internationally. Romanian authorities revealed at the beginning of October that they had indications […]
An investigation by the famous British newspaper Financial Times revealed that the campaign of former Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu was supported by a Russian network also used during the pandemic in France and Germany to instill fear of vaccines. The newspaper’s investigation began in continuation of those by Bulgarian and Romanian journalists at BG...
Bucharest’s District 3 City Hall will once again organize a special New Year’s Eve event in Titan Park, with a program of live concerts, multimedia shows, and even a simulation of the Northern Lights. The event, set to begin at 8:00 PM on December 31, will focus on the theme of infinity. “If you missed […]
Traffic on Lot 1 of the A7 Ploiești-Buzău highway, stretching 21 kilometers in southern Romania, was officially opened on Monday, December 23. With this opening, 102 kilometers of the total 320 kilometers of the highway are now usable. The Moldova Highway, as it has been called, is meant to connect Romania's economically underdeveloped eastern regions to […]
The Dutch technology investor Prosus NV, also the majority shareholder of Romania’s largest online retailer eMAG, is set to buy the online travel agency Despegar.com Corp, focused on Latin America, for approximately USD 1.7 billion. The purchase consideration will be funded from existing cash resources, the company said. Founded in Argentina in 1999, Despegar is one […]
The new Forestry Code, which passed the Parliament vote on December 17 and was signed into law by president Klaus Iohannis on December 20, includes provisions that protect all forests in Ilfov, the county surrounding Bucharest, making them the cornerstone of the future green belt around the capital city. Moreover, it legislates green belts nationwide, […]
